Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Michigan student stabbed to death in classroom with kitchen knife

A 16-year-old female student of Fitzgerald High School in Warren was killed Wednesday morning after being attacked by a fellow student with a kitchen-style knife.

The incident occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 11 when a fellow 17-year-old-student attacked the victim in a classroom. The school resource officer rushed to the scene to immediately to administer CPR. The victim was transported to the hospital but was pronounced dead at 9:24 a.m.

In a press conference following the incident, Warren police commissioner William Dwyer said that the two female students were acquainted with each other. The police are currently interviewing students and investigating what caused the incident, however, Dwyer says that the two female students may have both had a relationship with a male student.

The suspect has been arrested and according to Dwyer has made some "admissions." Police are asking for a murder warrant and that the unnamed suspect "...will be charged with homicide and the degree will be determined by the Macomb County prosecutor's office."

The identity of the victim has yet to be released. According to Channel 7 WXYZ, both the victim and suspect were straight A students. According to the family of the victim, she was highly involved in school extracurriculars including cross country, robotics club, color guard, student council, marching band, National Honor's Society, and A Generation of Promise.

Fitzgerald High School released a statement following the incident informing the community of the attack and that the school had been put on lockdown. Superintendent Laurie Fournier released a follow-up statement at 11:20 a.m. on Wednesday morning:

We are deeply saddened to share that the Fitzgerald High School student who was stabbed this morning passed away at the hospital. Our hearts and prayers go out to the student’s family and we offer our deepest sympathy.

Students at Fitzgerald High School were released at 10 a.m. this morning. On Thursday, September 13th, Fitzgerald High School will be closed however the middle school and elementary schools will be open. At the High School we have deployed additional counselors, psychologists and social workers for students and staff who need support during this difficult time. Students and their parents may come to the High School between the hours of 8am and 2pm for support and assistance. We are working very closely with the police department on this matter as well as conducting an internal school review of the incident which will review all our current safety procedures and protocols. This is a time of mourning for the Fitzgerald Community and we ask for you to respect the privacy of the victim’s family. Please check Facebook and our website for updates.

Laurie Fournier, Superintendent

Students were dismissed from school on Wednesday morning, Thursday classes were also canceled.

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